Door opening/ closing device for vehicle

ABSTRACT

A door opening/closing device drives a slide door to a locked state under authentication communication between an authentication ECU of a vehicle side and a mobile device, when the slide door is in a closed and unlocked state and the presence of a user is detected by a detection unit.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a vehicle door opening/closingapparatus (door opening/closing device for vehicle) including anon-contact sensing unit for, after sensing the presence of a userlocated near a door of the vehicle and switching this door of thevehicle from a locked state to an unlocked state, setting this door toan open state or the like, without requiring the user to use his or herhands.

BACKGROUND ART

As a sensing unit that senses the presence of a user standing near adoor of a vehicle, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No.2007-162459, for example, proposes radiating a laser beam toward theground from a laser beam transceiver attached directly below a rear doorof the vehicle (see [0025] in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No.2007-162459).

Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2007-162459 discloses ahands-free door opening/closing apparatus in which the laser beamradiated toward the ground is triggered by the user moving his or herfoot to block the laser beam, and after the rear door in the closedstate that is locked according to the authentication of an electronickey is switched from the locked state to the unlocked state, the reardoor is in a state of being opened only a short distance (referred to asbeing partially open) (see [0025], [0055], and FIG. 9 in JapaneseLaid-Open Patent Publication No. 2007-162459).

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

However, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2007-162459, thereis no mention of technology by which after the user loads baggage intothe backseat of the vehicle or the like when the rear door is in theopen state, when the rear door is then closed, i.e. when the rear dooris set to the closed and unlocked state, the user can set the door tothe locked state when the user moves his or her foot to block the laserbeam from outside the vehicle with the intention of locking the reardoor.

In this case, i.e. in a case where the rear door is in the closed andunlocked state, when the user moves his or her foot to block the laserbeam with the intention of setting the rear door to the locked state,there is a risk that the door may be opened instead (incorrectly).

In this way, even though the user has no intention of opening the door,i.e. the user is attempting to lock the door, the door is switched fromthe closed state to the open state, which causes discomfort and is inneed of improvement.

The present invention has been devised in order to solve this type ofproblem, and has the object of providing a vehicle door opening/closingapparatus that us capable of not setting the door to the open state whenthe door is in the closed state and unlocked state and the presence ofthe user is sensed by the sensing unit.

The vehicle door opening/closing apparatus according to the presentinvention comprises a portable device configured to transmit a requestsignal to set a door of a vehicle to a locked state or an unlockedstate, from outside the vehicle; a sensing unit provided to the vehicleand configured to sense, in a non-contact manner, presence of a userlocated near the door; an authentication unit provided on a side of thevehicle and configured to perform authentication communication with theportable device; and a door driving unit provided to the vehicle, andconfigured to drive the door to be in an open state or a closed state,and drive the door to be in the locked state or the unlocked state basedon the authentication communication between the authentication unit andthe portable device, wherein when the door is in the closed state andthe unlocked state and the sensing unit senses the presence of the user,the door driving unit drives the door to be in the locked state based onthe authentication communication between the authentication unit and theportable device, and when the door is in the locked state and thesensing unit senses the presence of the user, the door driving drivesthe door to be in the open state based on the authenticationcommunication between the authentication unit and the portable device.

According to the present invention, when the door is in the closed stateand the unlocked state and the sensing unit senses the presence of theuser, the door is driven to be in the locked state, based on theauthentication communication between the authentication unit and theportable device, and therefore it is possible to lock the door whenthere is intent of wanting to lock the door and no intent to open thedoor, thereby eliminating a feeling of discomfort.

When the door is in the locked state and the sensing unit senses thepresence of the user, the door is driven to be in the open state (fullyopen or partially open), based on the authentication communicationbetween the authentication unit and the portable device, and thereforeit is possible to reliably set the door to the open state when there isintent to open the door that is in the locked state.

In the vehicle door opening/closing apparatus, it is preferable that thedoor driving unit includes an outer door handle switch configured tooutput an outer door handle switch ON signal when the user pulls anouter door handle, the sensing unit includes a separate outer doorhandle switch configured to output a pseudo outer door handle switch ONsignal that is equivalent to the outer door handle switch ON signaloutput by the outer door handle switch, and when the door is in thelocked state and the sensing unit senses the presence of the user, thedoor driving unit drives the door to be in the open state based on theauthentication communication between the authentication unit and theportable device, with the pseudo outer door handle switch ON signal as atrigger, the pseudo outer door handle switch ON signal being output fromthe separate outer door handle switch of the sensing unit.

According to such a configuration, even if the sensing unit is aso-called retrofit option, it is possible to link the existing doordriving unit with the portable device and drive the door to be in theopen state, based on the authentication communication.

Furthermore, in vehicle door opening/closing apparatus, it is preferablethat the door driving unit includes a door lock/unlock button configuredto output a door lock trigger signal when pressed by the user, thesensing unit includes a generating section configured to generate andoutput a pseudo door lock trigger signal that is equivalent to the doorlock trigger signal output by the door lock/unlock button, and when thedoor is in the open state, or in the closed state and the unlocked stateand the sensing unit senses the presence of the user, the door drivingunit drives the door to be in the locked state based on theauthentication communication between the authentication unit and theportable device, with the pseudo door lock trigger signal as a trigger,the pseudo door lock trigger signal being output from the generatingsection of the sensing unit.

According to such a configuration, even if the sensing unit is aso-called retrofit option, it is possible to link the existing doordriving unit with the portable device and drive the door to be in thelocked state, based on the authentication communication.

Furthermore, in the vehicle door opening/closing apparatus, it ispreferable that the door is a rear sliding door, the sensing unitincludes an ultrasonic sensor configured to sense a foot of the user,and the ultrasonic sensor is arranged under a side sill of a front door.

According to this configuration, while work such as loading andunloading items is being performed with the rear sliding door in theopen state, for example, it is possible to prevent the rear sliding doorfrom unexpectedly closing due to the movement of the foot of the userwho is doing this work.

The sensing unit according to the present invention is used in thevehicle door opening/closing apparatus described above.

According to the present invention, when the door is in the closed stateand the unlocked state and the sensing unit senses the presence of theuser, the door is driven to be in the locked state, based on theauthentication communication between the authentication unit and theportable device, and therefore it is possible to lock the door whenthere is intent of wanting to lock the door and no intent to open thedoor, thereby eliminating a feeling of discomfort.

When the door is in the locked state and the sensing unit senses thepresence of the user, the door is driven to be in the open state (fullyopen or partially open), based on the authentication communicationbetween the authentication unit and the portable device, and thereforeit is possible to reliably set the door to the open state when there isintent to open the door that is in the locked state.

According to the present invention, when the door is in the closed stateand the unlocked state and the sensing unit senses the presence of theuser, the door is driven to be in the locked state, based on theauthentication communication between the authentication unit and theportable device, and therefore it is possible to lock the door whenthere is intent of wanting to lock the door and no intent to open thedoor, thereby eliminating a feeling of discomfort.

When the door is in the locked state and the sensing unit senses thepresence of the user, the door is driven to be in the open state (fullyopen or partially open), based on the authentication communicationbetween the authentication unit and the portable device, and thereforeit is possible to reliably set the door to the open state when there isintent to open the door that is in the locked state.

Even if the sensing unit is a so-called retrofit option, it is possibleto link the existing door driving unit with the portable device anddrive the door to be in the open state, based on the authenticationcommunication.

The object, features, and advantages described above will be easilyunderstood from the following description of the embodiment, whichreferences the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a vehicle door opening/closingapparatus according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2A is a schematic side view of a state where a sliding door isclosed, and FIG. 2B is a schematic side view of a state where thesliding door is open;

FIG. 3 is a descriptive diagram of a usage scenario imagined for asensing unit;

FIG. 4 is a descriptive diagram of a circuit configuration of a powermode switch;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart provided to describe a detailed operation of thevehicle door opening/closing apparatus;

FIG. 6 is a descriptive diagram of an operation from the time when thesliding door is locked to the time when the sliding door is unlocked;

FIG. 7 is a descriptive diagram of an operation from the time when thesliding door is opened to the time when the sliding door is closed andfrom the time when the sliding door is opened to when the sliding dooris closed and locked; and

FIG. 8 is a flow chart provided to describe an operation of the sensingunit.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The following provides a detailed description of preferred embodimentsof a vehicle door opening/closing apparatus according to the presentinvention, while referencing the accompanying drawings.

Configuration

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a vehicle door opening/closingapparatus 10 according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 2A is a schematic side view of an example of a state in which asliding door (rear sliding door) 20 on the rear passenger side of avehicle 12 including a right-side handle is closed, and FIG. 2B is aschematic side view of a state in which the sliding door 20 of thevehicle 12 is open.

In order to avoid complication and facilitate understanding, in thepresent embodiment, the configuration and operation of the vehicle dooropening/closing apparatus 10 are described using a front door 16 and thesliding door 20 on the passenger side of the vehicle 12 as examples, butsince the front door and sliding door on the driver side have the sameconfiguration and operation as on the passenger side, these doors arealso included in the invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle door opening/closing apparatus 10 isbasically formed from a vehicle door opening/closing apparatus body 302inside the vehicle 12, a sensing unit 50 that can sense a user (person)in a non-contact manner, and a portable device 200 that can be carriedby the user.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the front door 16 of the vehicle 12 is ahinged door for manually opening and closing a front left open portion102 of a vehicle body 100 by the user gripping a door handle 124 of thefront door 16 (outer door handle of the front door 16).

On the other hand, the sliding door 20 of the vehicle 12 is a slidingtype door with which a left rear open portion 104 of the vehicle body100 is opened when an outer door handle (sometimes abbreviated below asODH) 154 of the sliding door 20 is pulled by the user.

In actuality, the sliding door 20 is a so-called power sliding doorthat, on a condition that the sliding door 20 is in a closed state andunlocked state, automatically opens in a so-called motorized manner whenthe user pulls the outer door handle 154 of the sliding door 20 or whenthe user presses an opening/closing button (APS) 208 of the portabledevice 200 that forms a smart key type of entry system.

As described in detail further below, when the sliding door 20 accordingto the present invention is in the closed state and unlocked state, thesliding door 20 is controlled to not open even if the sensing unit 50senses that the foot of the user has been pulled away.

As shown in FIG. 1, the smart key type of entry system includes anauthentication ECU (Electronic Control Unit) (authentication controlsection, authentication unit) 24, which is an on-board device, and theportable device 200 that is carried by the user.

The authentication ECU 24 is a computing device including amicrocomputer; includes a CPU (central processing unit), a storagedevice (storage section) 25 such as a ROM (including an EEPROM) and aRAM (Random Access Memory) serving as memory, a timer serving as a clockdevice (clock section), and, if necessary, an input/output apparatus orthe like such as an A/D converter or D/A converter; and functions asvarious function realizing devices (function realizing section, functionrealizing means), e.g. a controller (control section), computer(computing section), processor (processing section), and the like byhaving the CPU read and execute programs recorded in the ROM.

Other ECUs in the description below have a similar configuration to theauthentication ECU 24 described above.

The authentication ECU 24 further includes a transceiver circuit (notshown in the drawings) for performing wireless authenticationcommunication with the portable device 200.

The portable device 200 includes an ECU (portable device ECU) 224, andthis portable device ECU 224 also serves as an authentication ECU(authentication control section) of the portable device 200. An ID formutual authentication of the portable device 200 is stored in a storagedevice 225 (EEPROM) of the portable device ECU 224, and an ID identicalto this ID for mutual authentication is stored in advance in the storagedevice 25 (EEPROM) of the authentication ECU 24 of the vehicle 12.

The portable device 200 is provided with a manipulation portion formedfrom a lock release button (also referred to as an unlock button) 204for the front door 16 and sliding door 20, a lock engage button (alsoreferred to as a lock button) 206 for the front door 16 and sliding door20, an opening/closing button 208 for the sliding door 20 (passengerside), and an opening/closing button 210 for the sliding door 20 (driverside), all of which appear on the portable device 200 and can be pressedby the user or the like. The portable device 200 is also provided withan indicator (not shown in the drawings) such as an LED that can be seenby the user or the like and a buzzer, speaker, or the like (not shown inthe drawings) that can be heard by the user or the like.

The portable device ECU (also serving as an authentication ECU(authentication control section)) 224 described above including thetransceiver circuit for performing wireless authentication communicationwith the on-board authentication ECU 24 is provided inside the portabledevice 200.

The unlock button 204, the lock button 206, and the opening/closingbuttons 208, 210 are electrically connected to the portable device ECU224.

With a smart key entry system, as is widely known, when the user carriesthe portable device 200 and approaches the front side of the front door16 of the vehicle 12, the front door 16 of the vehicle 12 is set to anunlock standby mode or the sliding door 20 of the vehicle 12 is set toan unlock standby mode, without the user manipulating any buttons of theportable device 200.

In this unlock standby mode, in order to automatically unlock (releasethe lock of) the vehicle door (front door 16 or sliding door 20), theuser simply holds the portable device 200 that is an automatic responsedevice and walks into a prescribed wireless frequency communicationrange of the vehicle 12 (a below-described portable device sensing range80 that is near the front side of the front door 16). As a result, theauthentication ECU 24 and the portable device 200 perform authenticationcommunication to determine whether the mutual IDs are the same.

After the authentication communication has ended successfully (themutual IDs are the same), when the user presses a door lock/unlockbutton 126 (door lock sensor) provided on the door handle 124 of thefront door 16, for example, a front door lock 122 and a lock (slidingdoor lock) 222 of the sliding door 20 are unlocked (released). Afterthis, when the user pulls the door handle 124, the front door 16 opens.

On the other hand, by having the user pull the outer door handle (ODH)154 when the sliding door 20 is in the unlocked state, or by having theuser press the opening/closing button 208 of the portable device 200when the sliding door 20 is in the locked state, the sliding door 20 canbe automatically opened.

The vehicle door opening/closing apparatus 10 includes, in addition tothe authentication ECU 24 described above, ECUs including a vehicle ECU32 (vehicle control section), a door lock ECU 34 (door lock controlsection), and a sliding door drive ECU 36 (sliding door drive controlsection) that are connected to each other via an intra-vehiclecommunication line 30.

The sensing unit 50 of the vehicle door opening/closing apparatus 10according to the present embodiment is not attached in the productionplant line of the vehicle 12, and is instead commercially available andattached as an option that can be attached at a later stage (retrofitoption) by a dealer or the like, but the sensing unit 50 may be attachedin the production plant line.

As shown in FIG. 1, the sensing unit 50 includes an ultrasonic sensor 76formed by one set of a transducer 72 and a transducer 74 having the samespecifications, a buzzer 78, and a sensing ECU 70 (sensing controlsection).

As shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 3, the transducer 72 and the transducer 74are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 12. Thetransducer 72 and the transducer 74 are each a transmission/receptiondual-purpose type configured to alternately switch between transmissionand reception of ultrasonic waves at a predetermined period (e.g. everyseveral hundred milliseconds), and have an advantage in that the usableperiod thereof can be lengthened compared with when the transducer 72and the transducer 74 are used only for transmission or reception. Inthe drawings, reference numeral R indicates a sensing range (sensingregion) where the ultrasonic sensor 76 is capable of sensing.

The sensing unit 50 is electrically connected in a wired manner to thevehicle door opening/closing apparatus body 302 in the vehicle 12 via aconnector 71, and as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, is secured inside thevehicle body 100 by a fastening member (not shown in the drawings) at aposition below the front door 16 (under a front side sill 17) and near aregion below the sliding door 20 (rear side sill 18), so as to easilysense the insertion and removal of a left foot F of a user M.

FIG. 3 is a descriptive diagram of a usage scenario imagined for thesensing unit 50. The detailed operation relating to the sensing unit 50is described further below.

As an example, in a state where the front door 16 and the sliding door20 of the vehicle 12 parked on a ground 300 are in the locked state, theuser M, who is carrying the portable device 200 in a pocket or the likeof his or her clothing and holding baggage B in both hands, places theleft foot F below the ultrasonic sensor 76 (in the prescribed sensingrange R) under the front door 16 (under the front side sill 17) (stepa).

Next, the user M removes his or her left foot F within several secondsfrom below the ultrasonic sensor 76 (from the prescribed sensing range Rbetween the ultrasonic sensor 76 and the ground 300). With the sensingof this left foot F insertion/removal action (referred to as a kickingaction (kicking motion)) as a trigger, (the portable device ECU 224 of)the portable device 200 and the authentication ECU 24 start theauthentication communication (step b).

In actuality, the sensing of this insertion/removal action of the leftfoot F or the like by the ultrasonic sensor 76 is performed bydetermining whether an ultrasonic wave 77 (transmission wave)transmitted from the transducer 72 and reflected from the ground 300 isinstead temporarily reflected from the left foot F or the like and isthen again reflected from the ground 300 within several seconds (withina prescribed time), by using the transducer 74 to monitor a state(return time) of the ultrasonic wave 77 (reflected wave).

When the authentication of step b above is successful, the front door 16and the sliding door 20 are switched from the locked state to theunlocked state, and furthermore, the sliding door 20 is automaticallyopened.

The user M who has the baggage B occupying both hands can put thebaggage B down into a vehicle cabin 22 and load this baggage B in thevehicle 12 (step c).

The user M, who has put the baggage B down into the vehicle cabin 22 andthen determined that the loading of the baggage B has been completed,performs the kicking motion described above (with either the right footor the left foot F) (step b again).

With the sensing of this kicking motion as a trigger, the sliding door20 is automatically closed. After this, when (the portable device ECU224 of) the portable device 200 and the authentication ECU 24 performauthentication communication and this authentication is successful, thesliding door 20 is set to the locked state. At this time, all otherdoors, including the front door 16, are set to the locked state.

In this case, since the sensing unit 50 (ultrasonic sensor 76) isprovided under the front door 16 (under the front side sill 17), even ifthe foot (left foot F or right foot) of the user M is inserted under therear side sill 18 (under the left rear open portion 104) during the workof loading and unloading the baggage B, this foot is outside the sensingrange R of the ultrasonic sensor 76, and therefore the sliding door 20remains open. Therefore, it is possible to restrict the worry of thesliding door 20 closing unintentionally during loading and unloading ofthe baggage B, and to carry out smooth loading and unloading of thebaggage B.

Returning to FIG. 1, the vehicle ECU 32 is connected to an engine 40serving as a power source of the vehicle 12 and to a power mode switch44 capable of switching the power mode according to the authenticationwith the portable device 200 present within a prescribed range in thevehicle cabin 22. The power mode switch 44 substantially corresponds toa conventional ignition switch. The power source of the vehicle 12 maybe a fuel cell instead of the engine 40.

FIG. 4 is a descriptive diagram of the circuit configuration of thepower mode switch 44 (power mode switching button) arranged in aninstallment panel (not shown in the drawings). The actual circuit isformed by relays whose movable contact switching positions can bearbitrarily selected, but to facilitate understanding, the circuit isdescribed using a circuit configuration of a rotary switch having thefunction of the conventional ignition switch.

The power mode switch 44 is a push-button switch capable of selecting(switching to) a functional mode by circulating, every time the buttonis pressed, among an OFF mode (in which all power supplies are OFF), anaccessory mode (also referred to as an ACC mode in which it is possibleto use on-board electrical equipment such as an audio system), an ONmode that is during operation after passing through a START mode inwhich the engine 40 is started, and the OFF mode, in the stated order.

The power mode switch 44 includes a common terminal 130, one movablecontact 132, fixed contacts OFF, ACC, ON, and START, and segments 133,134, 135, 136. An ACC terminal 143 is connected to the segment 133, anON terminal 144 is connected to the segment 134, a RES (Remote EngineStart: relating to a so-called remote engine starter) ON terminal 145 isconnected to the segment 135, and a START terminal 146 is connected tothe segment 136.

When the movable contact 132 is at the fixed contact OFF, the voltage(also referred to +B power supply) of an on-board capacitor 140 is notconnected to the electrical equipment and the like.

When the movable contact 132 is at the fixed contact ACC, the +B powersupply is supplied to the ACC terminal 143 from the common terminal 130,via the movable contact 132 and the segment 133. In addition to theon-board electrical equipment (not shown in the drawings), a terminal 71b in the connector 71 of the sensing unit 50 is connected to the ACCterminal 143, via a wire. The signal of the voltage appearing in the ACCterminal 143 is referred to as an ACC signal Sacc. When the ACC terminal143 is connected to the capacitor 140 through the segment 133, themovable contact 132, and the common terminal 130, the ACC signal Saccbecomes the voltage of the +B power supply (this voltage is alsoreferred to as +B) with a nominal value+12 [V] (high level), and whenthe segment 133 is not connected to the movable contact 132, the ACCsignal Sacc is grounded via a resistor (not shown in the drawings) tohave a voltage of 0 [V] (low level).

When the movable contact 132 is at the fixed contact ON, the +B powersupply is supplied to the ON terminal 144 via the segment 134, the +Bpower supply is also supplied to the ACC terminal 143 via the segment133, and further, the +B power supply is also supplied to the RES ONterminal 145 via the segment 135. When the segments 134 and 135 are notconnected to the movable contact 132, these segments 134 and 135 aregrounded via a resistor (not shown in the drawings) through the ONterminal 144 and the RES ON terminal 145 to have a voltage of 0 [V].

When the movable contact 132 is at the fixed contact START, the +B powersupply is supplied to the RES ON terminal 145 via the segment 135 andthe +B power supply is supplied to the START terminal 146 via thesegment 136. When the segment 136 is not connected to the movablecontact 132, this segment 136 is grounded via a resistor (not shown inthe drawings) through the START terminal 146 to have a voltage of 0 [V].

The following describes three points that it is important to be awareof.

First, when the power mode switch 44 is pressed in the vehicle cabin 22,the authentication communication with the portable device 200 inside thevehicle cabin 22 is successful, and the movable contact 132 is connectedto the fixed contact START, the engine 40 starts by being cranked by acranking motor (not shown in the drawings), after which the movablecontact 132 is returned to the fixed contact ON by the vehicle ECU 32.During the operation after the engine 40 has started, the supply ofpower to the cranking motor is stopped.

Second, in a case where an engine start button of a remote controlledengine starter (not shown in the drawings) has been pressed from outsidethe vehicle 12, when the authentication of this remote controlled enginestarter is successful, the vehicle ECU 32 performs control to connectthe movable contact 132 directly to the fixed contact START from theposition of the fixed contact OFF, while avoiding the fixed contact ACCand the fixed contact ON, to crank and start the engine 40, after whichthe movable contact 132 is kept at the fixed contact START. During theoperation after the engine 40 has started, the supply of power to thecranking motor is stopped.

Third, in a case where the engine 40 is started from the outside by theremote controlled engine starter and enters the operational state, whenthe unlock button 204 of the portable device 200 is manipulated fromoutside, the authentication communication is successful, and the locks122 and 222 are set to the unlocked state, for example, the vehicle ECU32 connects the movable contact 132 to the fixed contact OFF from thefixed contact START, to stop the engine 40.

Returning to FIG. 1, a front door lock actuator 52 that engages andreleases the lock (front door lock, FD lock) 122 of the front door 16,the door lock/unlock button 126, a front door lock switch 54 that sensesthe state (locked state or unlocked state) of the front door lock 122, afront door switch 56 that senses the open/closed state of the front door(FD) 16, and a sliding door lock actuator 60 that engages and releasesthe lock (SD lock) 222 of the sliding door 20 are connected to the doorlock ECU 34.

When the door lock/unlock button 126 (see FIGS. 2A and 2B) that isincorporated in the door handle 124 is pressed, a door lock triggersignal St is output. The door lock trigger signal St functions as anunlock signal for the front door 16 and the sliding door 20 when thefront door 16 and the sliding door 20 are in the locked state, andfunctions as a lock signal for the front door 16 and the sliding door 20when the front door 16 and the sliding door 20 are closed and in theunlocked state.

The sliding door drive ECU 36 is connected to an outer door handleswitch 58 that is set to a closed state and outputs an outer door handleswitch ON signal So/hon when the outer door handle 154 (see FIGS. 2A and2B) is pulled by a hand of the user M (and is set to an open state anddoes not output the outer door handle switch ON signal So/hon when theouter door handle 154 is not pulled), a sliding door lock switch 62 thatsenses a state (locked state or unlocked state) of the lock (SD lock)222 of the sliding door 20, a sliding door switch 64 that senses theopen/closed state of the sliding door 20, and a sliding dooropening/closing actuator 66 that performs opening/closing driving of thesliding door (SD) 20.

The sensing ECU 70 includes a timer 26 serving as a clock device, and isconnected to the ultrasonic sensor 76 formed by the transducer 72 andthe transducer 74 described above, the buzzer 78, and the connector 71serving as an electrical component that electrically connects wires toeach other. The connector 71 includes nine terminals 71 a to 71 i.

The terminal 71 a is a terminal through which the +B power supply issupplied to the sensing unit 50 from the capacitor 140 of the vehicle12.

The terminal 71 b is connected to the ACC terminal 143 (see FIG. 4), andis a terminal enabling the sensing ECU 70 to detect the voltage (+Bpower supply or 0 [V]) of the ACC terminal 143 according to the voltagelevel of the ACC signal Sacc and to transition the sensing unit 50 to akick sensing mode state (kick sensing capable state) or a kick sensingprohibited mode state, based on the detected voltage.

The terminal 71 c is connected to the front door switch 56, and is aterminal enabling the sensing ECU 70 to sense the open/closed state ofthe front door 16.

The terminal 71 d is connected to the front door lock switch 54, and isa terminal enabling the sensing ECU 70 to sense the locked/unlockedstate of the front door 16.

The terminal 71 e is connected to the door lock/unlock button 126, is aterminal for outputting a pseudo door lock trigger signal Spt that is asignal equivalent to the door lock trigger signal St described abovefrom the sensing ECU 70, and is connected to a generating section 160for generating the pseudo door lock trigger signal Spt in the sensingECU 70.

The terminal 71 f is connected to the sliding door switch 64, and is aterminal enabling the sensing ECU 70 to sense the open/closed state ofthe sliding door 20.

The terminal 71 g is connected to the sliding door lock switch 62, andis a terminal enabling the sensing ECU 70 to sense the locked/unlockedstate of the lock 222 of the sliding door 20.

The terminals 71 h and 71 i have a function equivalent to that of theouter door handle switch 58 described above, and are connected to anouter door handle switch (ODH switch) 158 that is an electronic switchrealized by a semiconductor element within the sensing ECU 70. The outerdoor handle switch 158 functions as a pseudo outer door handle switch ONsignal Spo/hon generating section that is set to the ON state by thesensing ECU 70 under prescribed conditions described further below togenerate and output a pseudo outer door handle switch ON signal (pseudoODH switch ON signal) Spo/hon.

This pseudo outer door handle switch ON signal Spo/hon is a pseudosignal equivalent to the outer door handle switch ON signal So/hon thatis output from the outer door handle switch 58 (see FIG. 1) when theouter door handle 154 (see FIGS. 2A and 2B) is pulled by the user M.

Operation

The following describes a detailed operation of the vehicle dooropening/closing apparatus 10 that is basically configured and operatesas described above, in the order of (1) to (4) shown below, whilereferencing a flow chart shown in FIG. 5 relating to the operation(opening/closing operation and locking/unlocking operation) of thesliding door 20 in which the vehicle door opening/closing apparatus body302 and the sensing unit 50 are linked, a descriptive diagram shown inFIG. 6 of an operation from the time when the sliding door 20 (SD) islocked (LOCK) to the time when the sliding door 20 is unlocked (UNLOCK)and open (OPEN), a descriptive diagram shown in FIG. 7 of an operationfrom the time when the sliding door 20 is opened (OPEN) to the time whenthe sliding door 20 is closed (CLOSE) and from when the sliding door 20is opened (OPEN) to when the sliding door 20 is closed (CLOSE) andlocked (&LOCK), and a flow chart shown in FIG. 8 for determiningoperation or non-operation of the sensing unit 50.

-   (1) Transition process from the sliding door being closed and locked    to being open and unlocked-   (2) Transition process from the sliding door being closed and    unlocked to being closed and locked-   (3) Transition process from the sliding door being open and unlocked    to being closed and locked-   (4) Process for determining operation or non-operation of the    sensing unit 50

Operation of the Sliding Door 20 in Which the Vehicle DoorOpening/Closing Apparatus Body 302 and the Sensing Unit 50 are Linked(1) Transition Process From the Sliding Door Being Closed and Locked toBeing Open and Unlocked

At step S1, the sensing ECU 70 judges whether kicking is sensed (thekicking motion is sensed).

As shown in FIG. 6, this kicking is sensed when a person X, who iswithin the portable device sensing range 80 of the sliding door 20(L-side SD) and wants to open the sliding door 20 (SD), i) inserts hisor her foot (right foot or left foot F) below the ultrasonic sensor 76that is under the front side sill 17 while holding the portable device200, ii) the sensing unit 50 causes the buzzer 78 to emit a sound, andiii) person X withdraws his or her foot within several seconds (step S1:YES). In the present embodiment, it should be noted that the portabledevice sensing range 80 of the sliding door 20 is provided substantiallynear the front of the front door 16.

Next, at step S2, the sensing ECU 70 acquires the sensing result of theopen/closed state of the sliding door switch 64 via the terminal 71 f,and judges the open/closed state of the sliding door 20.

Here, the “closed state” is assumed (step S2: CLOSED).

Next, at step S3, the sensing ECU 70 senses the locked state of thesliding door 20 by acquiring, via the terminal 71 g, the sensing resultof the locked/unlocked state of the sliding door lock switch 62.

Here, the “locked state” is assumed (step S3: LOCKED).

At this time, at step S4, the sensing ECU 70 sets the outer door handleswitch 158 to the ON state. Therefore, from the terminals 71 h and 71 iof the sensing ECU 70, which is connected to the outer door handleswitch 158 of the sensing unit 50, iv) the pseudo outer door handleswitch ON signal Spo/hon is output, and input to the sliding door driveECU 36.

Next, at step S5, an authentication request from the sliding door driveECU 36 triggered by the input of the pseudo outer door handle switch ONsignal Spo/hon is transmitted to the authentication ECU 24 via theintra-vehicle communication line 30 (description of the intra-vehiclecommunication line 30 is omitted below), and the authentication ECU 24that has received the pseudo outer door handle switch ON signal Spo/honperforms authentication communication with the portable device 200. Inthis case, the authentication is successful when the IDs stored in thestorage devices 25 and 225 match each other, and a successfulauthentication result is provided from the authentication ECU 24 to thesliding door drive ECU 36.

At this time, at step S6, the sliding door drive ECU 36 v) sets the lock222 to the unlocked state using the sliding door lock actuator 60 viathe door lock ECU 34, and then drives the sliding door 20 to be in theopen state using the sliding door opening/closing actuator 66 (drawingon the right side in FIG. 6).

The above process of {step S1: YES→step S2: CLOSED→step S3: LOCKED→stepS4: Spo/hon signal output→step S5: authentication communication→step S6:OPEN} is a process (referred to as a first route process) for switchingthe sliding door 20 in the closed and locked state to the open andunlocked state, according to the kicking action of the user X.

(2) Transition Process From the Sliding Door Being Closed and Unlockedto Being Closed and Locked

On the other hand, at step S3 described above, if it is judged by thesensing ECU 70 that the currently closed sliding door 20 is in the“unlocked state”, the sliding door 20 is not immediately opened by thefirst kick sensing of step S1.

Therefore, at step S7, the sensing ECU 70 outputs the pseudo door locktrigger signal Spt from the generating section 160 through the terminal71 e, to transmit this pseudo door lock trigger signal Spt to the doorlock ECU 34.

Next, at step S8, with the input of the pseudo door lock trigger signalSpt as a trigger, the authentication request from the door lock ECU 34is transmitted to the authentication ECU 24. At this time, theauthentication ECU 24 performs the authentication communication with theportable device 200. The authentication is successful when the IDsstored in the storage devices 25 and 225 match each other, and asuccessful authentication result is provided from the authentication ECU24 to the door lock ECU 34.

Next, at step S9, based on the successful authentication result, thedoor lock ECU 34 sets the lock 222 to the locked state, using thesliding door lock actuator 60.

The above process of {step S1: YES→step S2: CLOSED→step S3:UNLOCKED→step S7: Spt signal output→step S8: authenticationcommunication→step S9: LOCKED} is a process (referred to as a secondroute process) for switching the sliding door 20 in the closed andunlocked state to the locked state, according to the kicking action ofthe user X.

After the process of step S9, when the kicking action (second kickingaction) is sensed again at step S1, the sliding door 20 transitions fromthe closed and locked state to the open and unlocked state, according tothe first route process described above.

(3) Transition Process from the Sliding Door Being Open and Unlocked toBeing Closed and Locked

At step S1, the sensing ECU 70 judges whether kicking is sensed (thekicking motion is sensed).

As shown in FIG. 7, this kick sensing judgment is affirmative when aperson Y who is in the portable device sensing range 80 of the slidingdoor 20 (L-side SD) and wants to close the sliding door 20 (SD) (personwho wants to CLOSE SD) or a person Z who is within the portable devicesensing range 80 and wants to close and lock the sliding door 20 (SD)(person who wants to CLOSE AND LOCK SD) I) inserts and removes his orher foot (right foot or left foot F) below the ultrasonic sensor 76 thatis under the front side sill 17 (performs the kicking motion) whileholding the portable device 200 (step S1: YES). At this time, thesensing unit 50 causes the buzzer 78 to emit a sound.

In this case as well, when it is judged that the open/closed state ofthe sliding door 20 is the open state (and the lock 222 is obviously inthe unlocked state) based on the sensing result of the open/closed stateof the sliding door switch 64 by the sensing ECU 70 in step S2, thesensing ECU 70 sets the outer door handle switch 158 to the ON state atstep S11. Therefore, I) the pseudo outer door handle switch ON signalSpo/hon is output from the outer door handle switch 158, and input tothe sliding door drive ECU 36.

Next, at step S12, the sliding door drive ECU 36 drives the sliding door20 to be in the closed state, using the sliding door opening/closingactuator 66.

The person Y who wants to close the sliding door 20 (SD) (person whowants to CLOSE SD) II) moves out of the portable device sensing range 80while holding the portable device 200 before the sliding door 20 reachesthe closed state.

On the other hand, the person Z who wants to close and lock the slidingdoor 20 II′) waits within the portable device sensing range 80 whileholding the portable device 200 until the sliding door 20 has reachedthe closed state (CLOSING COMPLETED).

When the sensing ECU 70 senses that the sliding door 20 has reached theclosed state, based on the state of the sliding door switch 64, thesensing ECU 70 outputs the pseudo door lock trigger signal Spt from thegenerating section 160 and transmits this pseudo door lock triggersignal Spt to the door lock ECU 34 at step S13, in the same manner as inthe processes of steps S7, S8, and S9 described above.

Next, at step S14, the authentication request of the door lock ECU 34 istransmitted to the authentication ECU 24, and the authentication ECU 24performs the authentication communication with the portable device 200.The authentication is successful when the IDs stored in the storagedevices 25 and 225 match each other, and a successful authenticationresult is provided from the authentication ECU 24 to the door lock ECU34.

At this time, at step S15, the door lock ECU 34 sets the lock 222 to thelocked state, using the sliding door lock actuator 60.

The above process of {step S1: YES→step S2: OPEN→step S11: Spo/honsignal output→step S12: sliding door closed→step S13: Spt signaloutput→step S14: authentication communication→step S15: LOCKED} is aprocess (referred to as a third route process) for switching the slidingdoor 20 in the open and unlocked state to the closed and locked state,according to the kicking action of the user Z.

Even if the sensing unit 50 is a retrofit option, in the case of any ofthe first to third route processes described above, the sliding door 20is opened/closed and locked/unlocked according to the establishedauthentication communication (steps S5, S8, and S14) between theportable device 200 and the authentication ECU 24, and therefore theguarantee of security is maintained.

(4) Process for Determining Operation or Non-Operation of the SensingUnit 50

Next, at step S101 of FIG. 8, the sensing ECU 70 senses the ACC signalSacc through the terminal 71 b that is a terminal for sensing, andchecks the voltage. If Sacc=+B, it is judged that the movable contact132 of the power mode switch 44 is switched to the fixed contact ACC orthe fixed contact ON in the vehicle 12, and assuming that there is aperson in the vehicle 12, the kick sensing prohibited mode (kickingmotion sensing disabled) is set at step S103.

On the other hand, if the ACC signal Sacc is 0 [V], the movable contact132 is switched to the fixed contact OFF or the fixed contact START, andtherefore assuming that no one is in the vehicle 12, the kick sensingmode (kicking motion sensing enabled) is set at step S102.

Summary and Modifications

The vehicle door opening/closing apparatus 10 according to theembodiment described above includes the portable device 200 that iscapable of transmitting (transmitting by radio waves) a request signalto set the locks 122 and 222 of doors (front door 16 and sliding door20) of the vehicle 12 to the locked state or unlocked state, fromoutside the vehicle 12; an authentication ECU (authentication unit) 24on the vehicle 12 side that performs authentication communication withthe portable device 200; the sensing unit 50 that is provided to thevehicle 12 and senses, in a non-contact manner, the presence of the userM located near the front door 16, in the embodiment described above; anda door driving unit (door lock ECU 34 and sliding door drive ECU 36)that is provided to the vehicle 12, drives the doors (front door 16 andsliding door 20) to be in the open state or the closed state, and drivesthe locks 122 and 222 to be in the locked state or the unlocked statebased on the authentication communication between the authentication ECU24 and the portable device 200.

Here, the door driving unit (door lock ECU 34 and sliding door drive ECU36) drives the door (the sliding door 20 in the embodiment describedabove) to be in the locked state, based on the authenticationcommunication between the authentication ECU 24 and the portable device200, when the door (the sliding door 20 in the embodiment describedabove) is in the closed state and the unlocked state and the sensingunit 50 senses the presence of the user M due to the kicking action(kicking motion) of the foot (left foot F or right foot) of the user M,and drives the door (sliding door 20) to be in the open state (includingfully open and partially open), based on the authenticationcommunication between the authentication ECU 24 and the portable device200, when the door (sliding door 20) is in the locked state and thesensing unit 50 senses the presence of the user M.

According to the embodiment described above, when the door (sliding door20) is in the closed state and the unlocked state and the sensing unit50 senses the presence of the user M, the door (sliding door 20) isdriven to be in the locked state, based on the authenticationcommunication between the authentication ECU 24 and the portable device200, and therefore it is possible to lock the door (sliding door 20)when there is intent of wanting to lock the door (sliding door 20) andno intent to open the door (sliding door 20), thereby eliminating afeeling of discomfort.

When the door (sliding door 20) is in the locked state and the sensingunit 50 senses the presence of the user M, the door (sliding door 20) isdriven to be in the open state, based on the authenticationcommunication between the authentication ECU 24 and the portable device200, and therefore it is possible to reliably set the door (sliding door20) to the open state when there is intent to open the door (slidingdoor 20) that is in the locked state.

Furthermore, in the vehicle door opening/closing apparatus 10 accordingto the embodiment described above, the door driving unit (door lock ECU34 and sliding door drive ECU 36) includes the outer door handle switch58 that outputs the outer door handle switch ON signal So/hon when theouter door handle 154 is pulled by the user M; the sensing unit 50includes the separate outer door handle switch 158 that outputs thepseudo outer door handle switch ON signal Spo/hon that is equivalent tothe outer door handle switch ON signal So/hon output by the outer doorhandle switch 58; and when the door (rear sliding door 20) is in thelocked state and the sensing unit 50 senses the presence of the user M,the door driving unit (door lock ECU 34 and sliding door drive ECU 36)drives the door (rear sliding door 20) to be in the open state based onthe authentication communication between the authentication ECU 24 andthe portable device 200, with the pseudo outer door handle switch ONsignal Spo/hon as a trigger, the pseudo outer door handle switch ONsignal Spo/hon being output from the separate outer door handle switch158 of the sensing unit 50.

According to this embodiment, even if the sensing unit 50 is a so-calledretrofit option, it is possible to link the existing door driving unit(door lock ECU 34 and sliding door drive ECU 36) with the portabledevice 200 and drive the door (sliding door 20) to be in the open statebased on the authentication communication.

Furthermore, in the vehicle door opening/closing apparatus 10 of theembodiment described above, the door driving unit (door lock ECU 34 andsliding door drive ECU 36) includes the door lock/unlock button 126 thatoutputs the door lock trigger signal St when pressed by the user M; thesensing unit 50 includes the generating section 160 that generates andoutputs the pseudo door lock trigger signal Spt that is equivalent tothe door lock trigger signal St output by the door lock/unlock button126; and when the door (rear sliding door 20) is in the open state, orin the closed state and the unlocked state and the sensing unit 50senses the presence of the user M, the door driving unit (door lock ECU34 and sliding door drive ECU 36) drives the door (rear sliding door 20)to be in the locked state based on the authentication communicationbetween the authentication ECU 24 and the portable device 200, with thepseudo door lock trigger signal Spt as a trigger, the pseudo door locktrigger signal Spt being output from the generating section 160 of thesensing unit 50.

In the vehicle door opening/closing apparatus 10 according to theembodiment described above, even if the sensing unit 50 is a so-calledretrofit option, it is possible to link the existing door driving unit(door lock ECU 34 and sliding door drive ECU 36) with the portabledevice 200 and drive the door (sliding door 20) to be in the lockedstate, based on the authentication communication.

In the vehicle door opening/closing apparatus 10 according to theembodiment described above, the door that is driven by the door drivingunit (door lock ECU 34 and sliding door drive ECU 36) when the presenceof the user M is sensed by the sensing unit 50 is the rear sliding door20; the sensing unit 50 includes the ultrasonic sensor 76 that sensesthe foot (left foot F or right foot) of the user M; and the ultrasonicsensor 76 is arranged under the front side sill 17 of the front door 16.

According to the embodiment described above, while work such as loadingand unloading items is being performed with the rear sliding door 20 inthe open state, for example, it is possible to prevent the rear slidingdoor 20 from unexpectedly closing due to the movement of the foot (leftfoot F or right foot) of the user M who is doing this work.

The sensing unit 50 according to the embodiment described above ispreferably used in the vehicle door opening/closing apparatus 10described above.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments,but it goes without saying that various additional or alternativeconfigurations could be adopted therein based on the content disclosedin the present Description.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A vehicle door opening/closing apparatuscomprising: a portable device configured to transmit a request signal toset a door of a vehicle to a locked state or an unlocked state, fromoutside the vehicle; an authentication unit provided on a side of thevehicle and configured to perform authentication communication with theportable device; a door driving unit provided to the vehicle, andconfigured to drive the door to be in an open state or a closed state,and drive the door to be in the locked state or the unlocked state basedon the authentication communication between the authentication unit andthe portable device; and a sensing unit provided to the vehicle as aretrofit option and configured to sense, in a non-contact manner,presence of a user located near the door, wherein the door driving unitincludes: an outer door handle switch configured to output an outer doorhandle switch ON signal when the user pulls an outer door handle; and adoor lock/unlock button configured to output a door lock trigger signalwhen pressed by the user, wherein the sensing unit includes: a separateouter door handle switch configured to output a pseudo outer door handleswitch ON signal that is equivalent to the outer door handle switch ONsignal output by the outer door handle switch, when the presence of theuser is sensed; and a generating section configured to generate andoutput a pseudo door lock trigger signal that is equivalent to the doorlock trigger signal output by the door lock/unlock button, when thepresence of the user is sensed, and wherein when the door is in the openstate, or in the closed state and the unlocked state, the door drivingunit drives the door to be in the closed state and the locked statebased on the authentication communication between the authenticationunit and the portable device, with the pseudo door lock trigger signalas a trigger, and when the door is in the locked state, the door drivingunit drives the door to be in the open state based on the authenticationcommunication between the authentication unit and the portable device,with the pseudo outer door handle switch ON signal as a trigger.
 2. Thevehicle door opening/closing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein thedoor is a rear sliding door, the sensing unit includes an ultrasonicsensor configured to sense a foot of the user, and the ultrasonic sensoris arranged under a side sill of a front door.
 3. A sensing unit used ina vehicle door opening/closing apparatus, the vehicle dooropening/closing apparatus comprising: a portable device configured totransmit a request signal to set a door of a vehicle to a locked stateor an unlocked state, from outside the vehicle; an authentication unitprovided on a side of the vehicle and configured to performauthentication communication with the portable device; and a doordriving unit provided to the vehicle, and configured to drive the doorto be in an open state or a closed state, and drive the door to be inthe locked state or the unlocked state based on the authenticationcommunication between the authentication unit and the portable device,the sensing unit being provided to the vehicle as a retrofit option andconfigured to sense, in a non-contact manner, presence of a user locatednear the door, wherein the door driving unit includes: an outer doorhandle switch configured to output an outer door handle switch ON signalwhen the user pulls an outer door handle; and a door lock/unlock buttonconfigured to output a door lock trigger signal when pressed by theuser, wherein the sensing unit includes: a separate outer door handleswitch configured to output a pseudo outer door handle switch ON signalthat is equivalent to the outer door handle switch ON signal output bythe outer door handle switch, when the presence of the user is sensed;and a generating section configured to generate and output a pseudo doorlock trigger signal that is equivalent to the door lock trigger signaloutput by the door lock/unlock button, when the presence of the user issensed, and wherein when the door is in the open state, or in the closedstate and the unlocked state, the door driving unit drives the door tobe in the closed state and the locked state based on the authenticationcommunication between the authentication unit and the portable device,with the pseudo door lock trigger signal as a trigger, and when the dooris in the locked state, the door driving unit drives the door to be inthe open state based on the authentication communication between theauthentication unit and the portable device, with the pseudo outer doorhandle switch ON signal as a trigger.